The founders of Playdead, Dino Patti and Arnt Jensen, have found themselves in a public disagreement over intellectual property concerns.
This issue traces back to a LinkedIn post from 2024, which has been deleted since, where Patti posted a picture owned by Jensen. As a result, Jensen is demanding 500,000 DKK (approximately $72,600) from Patti as “suitable compensation and reimbursement,” according to reports from Game Developer.
Jensen’s lawyers issued a statement, shared as a “legal love letter” on LinkedIn by Patti, cautioning, “We want to remind you that your ongoing use of Playdead’s assets, as well as any sharing and commercial exploitation of confidential information about Playdead, is a violation and constitutes a breach of confidentiality agreements.”
The letter further elaborated, “By offering insights into the development process of Limbo, you’re incorrectly suggesting you had a significant, especially creative, role in its development. This misrepresentation can mislead business partners and the gaming industry, given that you were not a crucial contributor to the creative development of Limbo.”
Patti, for his part, has accused Jensen of previous attempts to “bully” him, which prompted Patti to publicly speak out about the situation.
Playdead has provided a clarification via an email to Game Developer, stating that they have “submitted demands” to Patti concerning what they perceive as “infringement and unauthorized use of Playdead’s trademarks and copyrighted materials in commercial and marketing settings.”
The studio added, “We’ve felt compelled to take action to safeguard our trademarks and copyrights, which are vital to maintaining Playdead’s business operations and reputation.”
Playdead, established in (year needed), gained acclaim by releasing two celebrated indie games: Limbo in 2010 and Inside in 2016. Patti exited the company in 2016, amid reports suggesting a fallout between him and Jensen.
